Daughters
by Fae 206
Summary: Anya and Dimitri thought that their lives would only get better when Anya delivered twin girls but when they find out one of the girls has magical skills, things get more complicated. With one girl a pretty princess and the other a dark sorceress will the couple be able to raise their daughters and prove the love? Where did this dark magic come from anyway?
1. Prologue

**AN:** I want to tell you that this story does not follow historical accuracy so think of it as an alternate reality. You could really place it anywhere at any time period. Sorry for those who like historically factual stories but this isn't one of them. This is actually my first fic for this movie so I hope you enjoy.

 **Daughters**

 **Prologue**

Three years had passed since Anya had realized herself the lost princess and she had eloped with Dimitri. Three full years and now they had something else to celebrate, the birth of twin girls. They had been living an honest life for these three years despite having to work hard for what they wanted. Of course Marie had tried to provide for them but Anya liked the hard work and she had encouraged Dimitri to follow his passion as well.

Aside from doing woodwork, Dimitri had become a published author with his tales of his memories of Anya being his top seller. Anya in turn had set her sights onto music and sometimes helped Dimitri with his own work. Anya had been helping him out until about eight months ago when it was discovered that she was pregnant and he had encouraged her to take it easy. In return for following his advice, Anya had asked that the babies been born in Paris where they had a support system. Dimitri had quickly agreed.

So, right now their lives had changed forever because nestled under a blanket were two twin girls, daughters. Anya watched as the midwife left the room and looked to her grandmother with a smile, the older woman had lived for longer than she had expected and said that the reason for the rejuvenation was the return of her granddaughter.

"Is it okay to come in?" Dimitri asked as he rushed in anyway, he smiled to Anya and then his eyes darted to the two young girls, his daughters. He grinned as he made his way over to them. "I can't believe how beautiful they are," he was starting to say but paused as he looked at them. One of them had slightly blue skin and a black birthmark on her head whilst the other had pure white skin and a few strands of hair similar to Anya's.

"Dimitri?" Anya asked as she sat up in the bed, her eyes holding onto her husband as he gently touched his daughter. "Is something - what's wrong?" she asked and Dimitri stayed staring at the two little girls. It felt as if he was already giving up hope on one of the girls.

"Is there a doctor…or the midwife, call the midwife back in," he said quickly as a few tears filled his eyes. He wanted to save her. These were his children and he didn't want to lose one of them less than an hour after they were born.

"Dimitri?" Anya asked, her fear growing as she saw his shoulders sag and his back drop. "What is it?" she asked and Dimitri slowly picked the little girl up in his arms. He tucked the other girl in before sitting next to Anya who looked at her daughter in fear. "She's not going to - can somebody help!?" she called out and the midwife rushed in, she took the girl from Dimitri's arms.

"It's just a birthmark," she said and Dimitri stood up, his heart catching in his chest.

"It's more than a birthmark," he argued, "the color of her skin, she needs help or medicine or something just….tell me what I can do or if there's anything that I can get for her."

"She seems healthy to me," the woman said and Dimitri hung his head, the anxiety running through it. Why wasn't she able to see that this girl – his daughter – was going to die. He didn't want to admit it but maybe it was hopeless, maybe all she'd become is a memory. Why wasn't anyone willing to help them?

 **End of Prologue**

 **Thank you for reading**


	2. Chapter 1 - The Dinner

**AN:** Thanks for your patience in the update 😊 I thought this chapter was pretty fun to write

 **Chapter One – The Dinner**

For four years, Dimitri had tried to keep his four-person family together whilst taking on honest work but he had been terrified. He had managed to gain some work as a playwright ,that he enjoyed but it wasn't what made the most money and he had been thinking about whether it was best for the whole family for him to give it up. He had what he had wanted most. A happy life with the girl of his dreams and their daughters.

Katrina had grown up so beautiful and everyone who she passed by had commented on how adorable she was. She was always smiling with a lot of energy and light on her face and everyone commented on how darling she was to be around. She was skilled at art already and was always pleasant and could have a conversation with anyone. Sabrina on the other hand had been mocked numerous times on how she had looked out of place with the family and Dimitri was ashamed by the attacks on a three year old girl. He didn't love magic, he and Anya had definitely wanted to be free of magic. That want to be rid of magic never extended down to their daughter though.

Whilst Katrina bathed in the light, Sabrina was lost battling in the darkness.

"We're going to go out to a dinner, tonight," Anya told her daughters as they put on their dresses and Sabrina nervously looked over to her father. Whereas Anya wanted to give the girls the same opportunities, sometimes Dimitri was too terrified to let his daughters out of his sight and that worked out well for Sabrina who hated to be around others.

"Anya," Dimitri said as he took a step forward.

"Dimitri, on Tuesday it will be their fourth birthday," she told him. "There is nobody invited to this dinner tonight that would want to cause harm to either one of our little girls. Please trust me on that. Both Sabrina and Katrina will be fine," she came over to him and placed a hand on his cheek, flicking some strands of hair. "Besides, you haven't danced with me properly for a while," she said as she let her head rest on his shoulder.

Dimitri sighed and closed his eyes before nodding. He was doing all he could to keep his daughters safe but he knew the rumors that people had about them. He looked over to the two girls who were playing together, at least they were getting along, it would have been too heartbreaking to see Katrina overtake Sabrina.

"I'm just worried about them. You know how judgmental people can be and I don't want them to feel the hurt in the world. They're too young for that," he argued and Anya gave him a knowing look.

"Let them decide what is right for them. The two of us are stubborn enough for this family, let's not pass it onto the girls," she winked before kissing his cheek and he chuckled before looking at the two girls. Anya grabbed their coats. "Now, who is excited to go to dinner?" she asked as Dimitri watched from behind her. Anya always had a strength in her that he just didn't have for himself. He had wanted it but that much life, she was like a music box that always pulled people in so that they could hear more of the beautiful sound.

"Don't worry so much," Anya said as she saw Dimitri overthinking what was going on, "It will be nice to see Vlad and Sophie," she encouraged him and Dimitri chuckled as he pushed his hair back. He nodded with a smile though he was terrified of bringing Sabrina to the public. There was only so much protection that he could give her as her father without locking her away in a tower and throwing away the key and that would be worse on the little girl's sense of self.

…

…

"Sophiiee!" Katrina yelled as she ran to the woman that she regarded as an aunt. Sophie had her own son as well and so was a natural at taking care of kids now. Anya smiled to her friends but then saw that Sabrina was clutching to Dimitri's leg and hiding away. She didn't want to encourage this type of withdrawal in her children but she didn't want for them to force themselves to be anybody that they were not either.

"Hello, my darlings!" Sophie said as she placed a hand on the top of Katrina's head. "I have one little girl but where is my second sweet little girl?"

Sabrina hid behind Dimitri a little bit more and Vlad came over to her, Dimitri crouched down and let his hand touch her cheek gently.

"It's okay. It's all right, you're safe," he promised her and kissed the top of her head. Sabrina looked up at Vlad and then curtseyed in her adorable way of doing so.

"Such a gorgeous young lady," Vlad said as he took her hand and kissed it very gently. Sabrina smiled as she looked down at the tiled floors. "You know, both of these gorgeous girls are so much like their mother, only her beauty could create -"

"Heh, thanks, Vlad" Dimitri winked at him and Katrina ran back to look at her mother.

"Mama!" she said happily, "Sophie said that she'll show me off to all the different people here. She says that she can tell me all kinds of stories and stuff," Katrina said with a grin over her face as she talked loudly and animatedly and Sabrina stepped behind her father once again.

"That sounds like a great plan, an adventure, right?" Anya smiled, "Why don't you go with them?" she asked Sabrina who looked at the adults and then dared to step forward. She looked at Sophie as they all waited for her to speak.

"Can I come too?" she asked nervously and Sophie nodded eagerly.

"Each of you take a hand," she said energetically and Sabrina ran over to her to see the other people they would be joining at dinner. Anya walked over to Dimitri and fixed his collar, kissing his cheek.

"She'll be just fine, don't worry so much," she said before spotting her grandmother enter, she couldn't believe that the woman had just continued to live and keep on living. "I'm going to go and say hello, you should join us later with the girls," she said as she kissed Dimitri's cheek and he nodded.

As soon as Anya had left his side, Dimitri moved back so that he could sit next to a window. He looked out of it, the worry and unease not leaving his face. It had seemed to be a constant these past four years. Feeling sympathy for his old friend, Vlad took a seat next to him.

"You should be celebrating. Don't overthink it, it's a celebration!" he laughed and Dimitri looked at him before turning back to the window. He was afraid at the judgments that other people would make about his little girl. When he had first seen her, he had thought that Sabrina was dead or was going to die. Now he knew that the tinged blue skin and birthmark were just because of her curse. How could he not be worried about the world not accepting her.

"I don't like her outside," Dimitri said and Vlad sighed.

"What are you going to do, lock her up? I don't think that I would have much liked my own father if he locked me in a cage. Are you sure that you're not the only one in the world who is worried about that, you do tend to worry too much," he said and Dimitri stared at him in horror. He shook his head. "Okay, no, I get your point but knowing the two of you, she's got her parents' combined strength."

"I would rather just pretend that the world accepted it," Dimitri replied, "I'm her father and that is what I consider extremely important. You're a father too so you should know. I just want for her to be able to do what she wants to in this world no matter what that is and I don't want other people forcing her to do things or telling her that she can't do things."

"See, that's what a good father does," Vlad commented as he saw Sophie include their son in their visits with the different guests. He put a hand on Dimitri's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "You are never going to get some rest though until you _stop_ worrying."

Dimitri put his fingers through his hair again before seeing a woman at the entrance way. She had slightly bluish skin and purple eyes, she was smoking a long cigarette and had long black hair. "That little girl is a real beauty, is she up for adoption?" she asked as she pointed at Sabrina and Vlad immediately grabbed Dimitri and held him back before he pounced on this woman.

"That's my daughter," he whispered and the woman laughed.

"Oh my, such a lucky little girl," she said sarcastically. "What powers does she possess?" she asked and Dimitri shook his head not knowing how to answer to that. "Ah, so they haven't been awoken. Pity," she told him and Dimitri looked after Sabrina before glaring at the other woman. He wasn't going to let anything happen to his princess.

 **End of Chapter One**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of the Prologue**

Child of Dreams, haleyham92


	3. Chapter 2 - Sacrifices as a Father

**Chapter Two – Sacrifices as a Father**

Dimitri shot a deep glare at the woman again. He hated what she was saying but he knew that there must be some truth in her words. Sabrina was different from everyone else but that didn't mean that she didn't deserve her family to love her. He had always been overly protective of her but now he was feeling that he should have been more protective.

Sabrina looked at the woman and she started to shiver. Having seen Dmitri's attention turn to his daughter and not the strange woman, he released his hold and the father went to hold Sabrina in his arms. Picking her up and pulling her tight against his chest.

"Don't you dare to do anything to my little girl," he warned her and the woman laughed with a shake of her head. Dmitri saw Sabrina push her face into his chest and he turned to Anya who had gone over to Katrina. Both of them were trying to protect their daughters, this was, after all supposed to be a party celebrating the two of them and that made Dimitri even more concerned about something happening to Sabrina.

"Daddy?" Sabrina asked as she looked up at him with wide eyes, "I'm scared."

"It'll be fine," Dimitri told her although he doubted that. He didn't know about this woman's powers but all he could think about was how years ago Rasputin had tried and very nearly succeeded in killing Anya and himself. He didn't know if he had strength enough to protect his family but he was going to try. Hell, he was going to try as hard as he could to protect his girls and the life that they lived.

The woman approached Sabrina and put a hand to her head making her squirm and Dimitri immediately pushed it off, his eyes showing a warning that he would give his own life to protect Sabrina. The woman laughed at this.

"Why would you protect someone like this? She belongs to us." she asked and the man stared at her. He shook his head knowing that everyone was now watching them. He looked towards the guards who were fortunately approaching the situation and turned to Sabrina who was clutching to him but she had dark blood veins showing on her skin.

When she had been born both Anya and Dimitri had been worried about her. Although Katrina was perfectly healthy, the color of Sabrina's skin made the two new parents believe that she wouldn't last the night but she did, she lasted that night and hundreds more. Despite the way that they had thought she hadn't lasted through birth, she had surprised them time and time again but something was happening to her. There was something hurting her.

As the woman was removed from his sight, Dimitri rushed out with Sabrina in his arms even with Anya calling after him. They reached an isolated place outside and he set his daughter on her feet. He fell down in front of her not caring about his clothes getting dirty.

"Princess," he asked as he touched her cheek finding her warmth to be going and he took off his own vest to put around her. He should have grabbed their coats. "Are you okay? What hurts? Can you tell me?" he asked and Sabrina bowed her head.

"Everything," she whispered and Dimitri felt the pain in his heart which he knew was captured in his expression. He squeezed his daughter's hands wondering whether they should get a doctor.

"Everything?" he asked with widened eyes, "What do you mean by everything?"

"I…" Sabrina shook her head and reached her hand out to some flowers that she was close to. Dimitri watched her carefully not sure of her intentions but as she touched the flowers they withered and died in her hand. She trembled as Dimitri turned to the flowers in shock. Had his daughter just done that?

"I'm sorry," she whispered fearfully and the other plants started to die as she became more and more afraid. She closed her eyes wishing for the nightmare to be over and as Dimitri reached out his hand to touch her, he felt a sharp stabbing pain and then felt something cold and sticky from his hand. There were cuts on it that had come from just reaching out to his daughter. Blood covered his hand and he stared at Sabrina horrified.

Something had happened, something terrible had happened.

Seeing the horror in her father's face and the blood on the hand that had touched her skin. Sabrina pushed him back and put him in more pain before fleeing. She had hurt her father. The one person she loved even more than her sister and she had hurt him. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

…..

…..

Anya had left Katrina with Vlad and Sophie, they would protect her and this was something that Katrina shouldn't be involved in but the two sisters loved one another. Maybe that was the reassurance that Sabrina needed, to know that her whole family loved her.

However, as Anya caught Dimitri on the ground with a bloody handprint on his chest, she gasped. Something was definitely wrong and it wasn't something that she had expected to have happened. She went over to her husband and crouched beside him. Her eyes went over to the dead flowers for a moment before she turned to Dimitri.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she touched his cheek and Dimitri coughed from the pain but slowly looked up, he turned to look in one direction and then the other. Where was she? Why hadn't she stayed here?"

"I'm fine," he told her and Anya shook her head.

"You seem far from fine. That blood looks far from fine. What happened?" she asked before her stomach dropped. She could have an idea what had happened and it terrified her. She didn't know what to do but she loved both her daughters. Still, if Sabrina had intentionally hurt Dimitri was that something that needed to be kept away from people, her ability to truly hurt somebody.

"Did you see the direction she went?" Dimitri asked before putting a hand to his chest. He felt unwell but even if he dropped dead tonight on the streets of Paris, he would find his daughter. Her life was much more important than his own.

"I don't…" Anya began before seeing a few of her daughter's footprints in the dirt, she was about to speak but Dimitri spotted them as well. He put his hands on Anya's shoulders.

"I'm going after her," he said in a determined manner, "I love you, Anya, but I have to find her. I'll bring her back here as soon as I'm able to," he said and Anya knew that he was talking beyond the sense of a father having to reason to his daughter, she could kill him by just touching him. Anya had never believed her daughter capable of killing her father but this wasn't her, these were her powers.

"Please be careful," she insisted. "If anything were to happen to you."

"If anything happens to her then I won't be able to forgive myself," he said and Anya kissed him again before seeing him leave. As much of a trickster as Dimitri was when she had first met him, he was a devoted husband and father. He would give his life for any of them but it was her fault that this had happened. This was a curse that had travelled through her. Anya just hoped that it wasn't too late.

…

…

Sabrina huddled up in the dark underneath some steps that she had found. She knew that people had hated her from the very day that she had been born but she hadn't thought that she could hurt her father in such a way. The blood was something that she had caused and if she had stayed with him longer then there would be more blood and more pain.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes, rocking herself back and forth. Her daddy had always proven to her how much he loved her but she had hurt him. She had actually wounded someone who had shown her nothing but unconditional love. Did he still love her? Was she even able to be loved?

As she sat by herself, Sabrina saw a woman's shoes and she closed her eyes wishing that she would just pass her by. She didn't want to hurt a stranger, that was against the law. Her parents had always told her never to hurt anyone and her hands were hurting people. Something had happened tonight that she didn't understand.

Sabrina tried to wish the woman away but it was no use. She looked up, the woman was the same one as had been at the party. This was the woman that her daddy had wanted to push away but she didn't seem scared of her, a lot of strangers were scared of her.

"Oh my poor dear, abandoned by your family," she cooed and Sabrina blinked at her. The woman held out a hand, "My name is Viktoria," she smiled as she introduced herself. "Would you like to come with me? I can help you control those powers so that you won't be able to hurt anyone that you don't want to hurt."

Sabrina stared at her before nodding. Maybe this woman could stop her from hurting her father.

 **End of Chapter Two**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are most appreciated**


	4. Chapter 3 - Daughter of Rasputin

**Chapter Three – Daughter of Rasputin**

Sabrina stared up at the woman and was about to give her her hand when she heard footsteps behind her and found her father approaching them. He stared between them and turned to Sabrina. "Daddy?" Sabrina asked as she watched him and Dimitri nodded.

"Come here," he told her as he offered his hand to her. He looked panicked. He had faced Rasputin along with Anya all those years ago but he didn't know the extent of the man's powers. All that Dimitri knew was the love that he had for his daughters and for Anya. "It's okay. We can go home."

Sabrina shook her head and turned to Viktoria, "She says it…it won't hurt," she said and Dimitri looked at Viktoria with a sharp glare. He knew that he was wounded but he wouldn't give up. He would have to be dead before he let them take his daughter away.

"Sabrina, come here," Dimitri ordered and Viktoria swept a hand through Sabrina's hair.

"That's not your father," she said and Dimitri gaped, what was she talking about? She was a twin and she held characteristics of his and physical traits. He was her father. He knew Anya to be loyal and this was his daughter.

"Don't listen to her," Dimitri told Sabrina before walking over to Viktoria and pushed her away, feeling a sharp pain throughout his body as he did so and he crumpled to the ground. He reached up and pulled Sabrina to his chest, making sure that even if he didn't make it through, he would be protecting his daughter until the last minute.

"Daddy's love, Daddy's love," Sabrina said as she grabbed onto Dimitri's shirt. As she tried to concentrate on those happy emotions, she felt a loss to the power that she had had before and as Dimitri realized the pain wasn't there from holding her, he pulled her closer to him very protectively.

"Yes, Daddy loves you," he repeated as he managed to get to his feet, holding her in his arms. "I'll keep you safe," he attempted to promise her and Sabrina pushed her face into his chest.

"You should know that you're not her father," Viktoria told him and Dimitri looked at her with cold eyes. "She is the daughter of Rasputin."

"Lies," Dimitri whispered before hearing the sound of the police force arriving. "She is _my_ biological daughter. I'm her father! I might not be much but I'm her father."

"Let yourself believe that if it's comforting to you," Viktoria laughed, "it doesn't matter either way. You'll soon see who she truly belongs to."

Dimitri paused as he saw her vanish and then turned to his daughter who was fearful about what had happened. He pushed some strands of hair behind her ear. "Are you okay?" he asked showing his parental love. Sabrina nodded but hung her head. She had hurt her father and caused him a lot of pain and he was one of the last people she wanted to hurt. He had always taken care of her.

"I'm scared," she whispered and Dimitri kissed the top of her head.

"It's okay. It's okay to be scared but we'll figure this out together, all right?" he asked and Sabrina nodded, hugging him again. Dimitri held her protectively. Scared by Viktoria and how she had been so close to snatching his daughter away from him. He took a deep breath as he stayed still with his daughter.

"Oh my gosh," Anya yelled as she caught the two of them together, she dropped down to her knees glad that they were together with weak smiles. Her husband hadn't died and she hadn't lost her daughter. "I'm so glad that I found the two of you. I'm so glad you're all right, Sabrina."

Sabrina hesitated before taking a step away from Dimitri, "Mother?" she asked, her body shaking and Dimitri placed a hand on her back and nodded. Sabrina ran into Anya's arms and Anya pulled her as close as possible into her embrace.

"I love you," Anya whispered as she tried to steel herself against the tears in her eyes. She turned to Dimitri. "I'll take care of the girls. You should go to the hospital," she said as she still held tight to Sabrina, wishing that she could help both of them.

Dimitri looked at her sadly, "That woman said something…I think it was a lie," he said and Sabrina turned to her mother.

"She said Daddy wasn't my Daddy," Sabrina attempted to explain and Anya looked at her very confused. "This guy…Ras-pootin was."

"Ridiculous," Anya whispered as she pushed her daughter's hair back. Yes, it was obvious that Sabrina had fallen under Rasputin's curse but that didn't mean she was her daughter. Nobody but Dimitri could be her father. She just didn't want to have to explain that to their daughter. "Daddy is your Daddy," she said and Sabrina closed her eyes as Dimitri smiled to them and then went to receive the medical treatment.

…..

…..

Dimitri sighed as he looked at the wounds on his body and felt a little lightheaded as he sat up in the hospital cot. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned across to see Vlad sitting there beside him. He sighed as he looked around. He needed to figure out how to help his daughter and save her before someone came to get her again. He was human though, how could he tackle the supernatural?

"I wanted to remind you that you might not want to just throw yourself against trouble," Vlad chuckled trying to make light of the situation.

Dimitri shrugged, "Can't do that," he said as he tried to get out of the bed but his body was too weak at that moment. "This is my family and I've always been a little hard headed. Even if I die, those three should be happy."

Vlad sighed and shook his head, "I don't think that you dying would help anyone. You need to think with your head and not act with your body," he told him and Dimitri took a deep breath in, his shoulders sagging. All he wanted to do was to protect those who were important to him. Ever since he was a servant boy and was watching Anastasia as a child, he felt attracted to her and wanted to prove himself to her. That didn't change now that he had married her and started a family with her.

Dimitri looked forward before turning to his old friend, "I need to ask you for something, Vlad," he said looking a little lost but steadied himself. "If anything is to happen to me then I need for you to take care of them. I know that Anya is independent but if there's something that's big enough to -"

"You have my word that I will protect your family as if they were my own, they feel like my own anyway," Vlad told him. "However, if there is a threat great enough to take you down."

"Let's just hope there isn't," Dimitri said as he managed to finally get out of the bed. Vlad attempted to guide him down again but this man was stubborn, he had always been a stubborn risk taker. It was in his nature. When someone threatened something important to him, he wasn't going to let it just go without a fight and this was his child.

"You uh…" Dimitri heard Bartok say from the corner of the room, "uh…probably not get up. There are some some bad things that are coming, yeah…pretty bad, I'd say."

"You mean, Rasputin?" Dimitri asked as he cast a suspicious eye to the bat.

"Yeah…" Bartok shivered. "Not him though but…uh…there are parts of him out there still…gives me the chills," he said and Dimitri sighed.

"Sabrina has to be protected," he told Vlad and the older man nodded.

"We will do anything in our power to keep her safe," he promised and Dimitri sighed. He knew he had to heal and be able to leave the hospital to be able to protect her but he wondered if he could ever do enough. Was it possible for him to study the same magic that his daughter was afflicted with?

 **End of Chapter Three**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**


	5. Chapter 4 - You Will Always Have Me

**AN:** Lol, I think I've said this before in another authors note but the idea behind Sabrina and Katrina and the difference to Sabrina The Teenage Witch never hit me when I got their names but afterwards. Maybe it was subconsciously chosen since that and As Told By Ginger were my favorite shows for a bit.

 **Chapter Four – You Will Always Have Me**

Katrina listened to the sound of the door and the slow movements of her daddy. She had always suspected that her dad paid more attention to her twin sister than to her but now she was sure of it. She felt betrayed as well. She knew that her father was injured and she knew her sister had done it to him. She didn't understand how special she was in the eyes of their dad. "I hate you," Katrina glared at Sabrina who bowed her head, the guilt hurting her internally.

"I'm sorry. I didn't - I didn't mean to," Sabrina whispered with tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe that she was receiving this type of attack from her own sister. The two had grown together, played together, they were supposed to be best friends.

"Daddy got hurt because of you," Katrina accused her and Sabrina bowed her head, tears filling her eyes. She knew that she had hurt her father and more than that, she knew that she hadn't meant or wanted to hurt him. She didn't know how to express that but she wanted her sister to listen to her. "You want him gone."

"No!" Sabrina yelled as she stood, her hands in fists at her side. "No. I don't want Daddy gone!"

At that point, Anya approached them, Dimitri's arm slung over her shoulder. She looked between the two girls, not absolutely certain why they were arguing but she had a good idea. She turned to Dimitri who stumbled forwards. He sat down between the two girls.

"Katrina," Anya said as she placed a hand atop her daughter's head, "I know it's hard but you need to have a little bit more understanding," she advised before sighing. She wanted Dimitri to rest but he wanted to make sure his daughters were okay. She knew of his stubbornness. She knew that if she wasn't there when he returned home, he could do damage to himself or shorten the recovery period.

"She hurt Daddy," Katrina huffed and Sabrina shivered as she looked at her family.

"I didn't want to. I love Daddy" Sabrina argued and Dimitri closed his eyes. He reached out a hand towards each of his daughters and they both took them, Sabrina a little more hesitantly than her sister.

"I love both of you very much," he said as he felt a little pain from Sabrina's hand. He turned to her. "Can you practice your breathing?" he asked and Sabrina turned to her mother, not certain about what her father wanted her to do.

Anya placed a hand on her chest before inhaling and exhaling slowly. "Like this, okay?" she demonstrated, "We want to have calming breaths, sweetheart." Sabrina nodded and followed her mother's example, the pain from her touch vanished and Dimitri pulled both of his daughters to his chest. Despite this being a situation in which Sabrina needed the most care, he couldn't ignore Katrina. She had done nothing wrong. He couldn't forget about her.

Anya looked at the two girls who snuggled up close to their father and kneeled in front of him. "You're always such a good father," she smiled as she kissed his lips and pulled back. She smiled at him and caught his eyes. He gazed at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Anya knew that that was true in Dimitri's heart. "You've always been my hero and I'm so lucky that you're the heart of our family."

Dimitri laughed at that and shook his head. He didn't see that at all. It was really Anastasia who was the beautiful mother and the lost princess. She was the one who held more power in their relationship. He was just a servant boy who had helped her and her grandmother escape and then held her within his heart for years. Maybe money would protect them. He didn't want to rely on money and it wasn't good to scheme for it but there had to be some way of building a place safe enough for his family.

"I think that you're the one who rescued all of us. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have this. I'd still be scheming with Vlad. You turned me into a con artist into someone who can respect himself, respect what he does, want to protect his family."

Anya kissed him again, she kissed him first on the lips, then on the cheek, then on the forehead. "Let's not argue about who saved who," she said to him as she stood and went to get a blanket to put over the three of them. She got a blanket for herself and sat next to him, letting her head rest on his strong shoulder. She really wished that she could stay here with them forever in the safety of her own mind.

…

…

As the light of the moon shone down on them, Anya followed Dimitri outside. She knew that he didn't want his daughters to lose their image of him being a good father but she already had a feeling of what he wanted to say. She just hoped that he wouldn't actually say it. She always valued her own strength and independence but she wanted to stay together as a family.

"I'm sorry," Anya whispered as they stood outside of the house, "I know that you want to leave. You keep getting hurt. I wouldn't expect for you to -"

"You have that little faith in me," Dimitri asked as he approached Anya, he let his fingers tuck some of her hair between her ear. No. Even if he died trying to protect his family, he wouldn't just abandon them. He only hoped that if he did become a corpse, it wouldn't traumatize the family. His life was insignificant compared to that of his girls. "I'm going to curse myself or at least train in curses."

"I don't understand," Anya said and Dimitri bowed his head.

"Rasputin, he wasn't born with the powers that he had, he managed to develop them over time. Yes, he had power and a wish to control and order others so he didn't start out with good intentions but he still learned that over time. I might not be the more intelligent person out there, Anya, but I believe with the type of work ethic that I have…."

Dimitri took a step away from Anya, he didn't know how she would feel about this. Rasputin was the reason why her family was dead and he had put her through so much pain already. He had tricked her, tried to kill her, almost drowned her and used her memories of her family as bait. He wasn't someone who she could love.

"You're doing this to protect Sabrina, aren't you?" Anya asked him and Dimitri's face softened.

"I have to," he argued. "Even if it means that I'm turning my back on all I love. Even if it means that we can't stay together. I have to do this for my family." Anya looked at him. Those words coming across her mind. What was he talking about?

"It's _our_ family," Anya told him and then felt tears in her eyes. Would he remain the person that she knew? Would his character change as he let this darkness build in his body? Would she even be able to recognize him as the man she loved unconditionally anymore. Yes, even if he did become corrupt, she would never be able to let go of how much she adored him. "And what do you mean we can't stay together? I thought that I promised you that when I married you. Through good and bad."

"If I become more like Ras-" Dimitri argued and Anya put a finger to his lips. He fell silent.

"Don't mention the name again but yes, that doesn't change anything," she argued passionately. "I'm not giving up on us. That man had hate in his heart, dark feelings that came from a dark place. You are doing this to protect and to save those you love. Those are good feelings. He had nobody who loved him. You will always have me."

"Even if I am hated by the country or even the world?" he asked and Anya stood still, looking at him boldly and not breaking eye contact with her husband.

"You will _always_ have me."

 **End of Chapter Four**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**


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